The Apcolypse
by Dark Eyed Angel
Summary: It's the end of the world, and the only ones alive to save it happen to be, two vampires that don't get along, Two whitelighters that don't get along, a kick boxing witch, a dog, some guy with a short fuse and long metal claws and a trigger happy demon ki
1. Spike Plays Hero

Author's Notes: I Decided this might an interesting crossover, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Special Unit 2/Charmed/X-men I said hey let me try it and see what comes out and this is what I got so enjoy.  
  
INTRODUCTION: Evil.some think it a concept, a state of mind, a choice one makes, whether to be evil or not. Though if the scale is tipped too far in evil's direction, an imbalance in power occurs and evil manifests into something tangible. Such a catastrophe occurred, Evil manifested itself into a black cloud that encompassed the earth, destroy most living things good or evil, and creating evil Spawns of its own to destroy all that is left and rule in complete anarchy, Skulking about the ruins that humans once called Earth.  
  
SUMMARY: It's the end of the world, and the only ones alive to save it happen to be, two vampires that don't get along, Two whitelighters that don't get along, a kick boxing witch, a dog, some guy with a short fuse and long metal claws and a trigger happy demon killing cop. Can they put aside their differences long enough to turn back time? Or will there petty differences consume them?  
  
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The sky was dark, and the moon was nowhere in sight. Spike kicked some rubble out of the way, so he could make his way out to the street. It looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off, and Spike wasn't so sure that one hadn't. Though why he was still in one piece he didn't know. He'd been wondering around here for at least three days, and he hadn't seen any sign of life. He didn't even know what happened, he was asleep and when he woke up he was under a large chunk of rock. At this point he would've given anything for someone to talk to, anyone, human, demon, Whatever.  
  
As if someone had read his thoughts, he heard a slight whining noise, then a hint of movement.  
  
"Hello?" Spike called out, though it may not have been the best move, he was desperate.  
  
He came to the ruins of the bronze, and found a large dog, a Boxer probably{I don't mean large as in Great Dane large I just mean he wasn't small}, clawing at a chunk of rock. Spike smelled the dog's blood so he knew it was hurt. As he got closer he noticed that the dog had been clawing at it for a while, there were scratch marks in the rock, and his nails where worn down to the point where they were bleeding. The dog stopped and looked at him wearily then began clawing at it again.  
  
"Hey now stop that," Spike told him, "now what's the bloody problem?"  
  
The dog whimpered slightly at him and continued clawing at it. As he got closer he realized why, A girl was trapped underneath, alive but barely. Human, but Spike figured 'What the hell? It's the end of the world.' He gently picked up the struggling dog and pulled him off of the slab of rock, then picked up the rock and tossed it out of the way. The girl was young nineteen probably. She dressed as if she was about to enter the Bronze, or maybe she was just leaving. He picked her up out of the rubble and carried he into what was left of the crumbling building. The dog followed behind him, now limping. He laid the girl on top of a pool table which he had to flip over. The dog attempted to jump up there with her but to no avail, so he laid down beside Spike who'd grabbed the nearest unbroken chair.  
  
"So what's your name mate?" he asked the dog as if it would answer.  
  
The dog licked his hand gratefully in response.  
  
"Now you don't see me slobbering all over you, Do you?" Spike demanded pulling his hand away.  
  
Spike began to notice a significant change in temperature. It didn't bother him of course he had no body temperature but he noticed the dog had curled into a tight ball, so he figured the girl might be cold too. He pulled off his leather jacket and placed it over top of her.  
  
"Now you stay here mate." Spike told the dog, "I'm going to go find something to burn."  
  
The dog climbed into the chair he'd been sitting in, and sat there as if he were a sentry. Spike grinned at that, though he'd deny it under oath he kind of liked the dog, of course, he was also the first living thing he'd seen. He walked around outside the Bronze and began to collect anything wooden or flammable. When he had too much to carry, he walked back inside and dumped it a few feet away from the pool table the girl lie on. He noticed the dog wasn't there, when he scanned the area for him, he didn't see him. He turned around and the dog was behind him.  
  
"Bloody hell, What's the matter with you?" Spike demanded.  
  
The dog grabbed him by the leg and began pulling him in the direction of the girl.  
  
"Hey, let go," Spike growled pulling his leg away, "Bloody mutt."  
  
The dog barked at him, then jumped on him desperately trying to get his attention.  
  
"What?" he demanded.  
  
The dog ran over to the pool table, and jumped up on it but only managing his front paws. He tried to lick the girl but couldn't quite reach. Spike walked over to him and pulled him down.  
  
"I'm sure she wants your slobber all over her too," he said rolling his eyes. Then he noticed what the dog was probably trying to tell him, the girl's hand was twitching slightly and her eyes were moving wildly beneath her eye lids. Suddenly the girl sat up, grabbing his arm as if waking from a bad dream. Once realizing she didn't know him she immediately let go. Recoiling slightly.  
  
"Wh-what.Wh-where.Wh-who." She couldn't decide what to ask first but she was clearly terrified.  
  
"I don't know what happened, We're in what's left of the Bronze, and I'm Spike," he said answering her three questions in order, "Who might you be love?"  
  
"Kerri," she said slowly, then taking a deep breath.  
  
As she did, she winced in pain, she began to notice every breath she took hurt.  
  
"Broke some ribs did you?" Spike asked as he returned to the pile of wooden lighting it on fire.  
  
"How?" she asked.  
  
"Well I'm guessing when the big slab of rock fell on you, but I could be wrong," Spike said sarcastically.  
  
She tried to get off the table she succeeded, but a sharp pain went up through her ankle and to her leg, and her ankle refused to hold her she nearly fell, but Spike caught her.  
  
"Love you might want to sit down," he said helping her over to the chair he'd been sitting on. The dog ran up to her and tried to jump in her lap but only managed to get its upper half of its body in her lap.  
  
"Get off of her you stupid git," he muttered, attempting to pull the dog off of her.  
  
"Its okay I'm used to it," she told him grinning.  
  
She scratched the dog's head and it tried to lick her in the face, "Okay Hudson, I love you, but you have dog breath."  
  
The dog put its head down as if it were insult and hopped off of her. He walked over to Spike and nudged him with his head, then curled up on his feet, making it difficult for Spike to move. "Bloody hell."  
  
"He likes you," she grinned, "First impressions last on him, he'll probably like you fornever."  
  
"Yeah well he really likes you, he was clawing at the stone on top of you," Spike told her, "He was bleeding I think it stopped though."  
  
She was quiet for a moment at that then finally speaking she said, "Thank you."  
  
"For what love?" Spike asked.  
  
"Well I'm assuming Hudson didn't carry me in here," Kerri said grinning halfway, "But I could be wrong."  
  
"Oh that," Spike said shifting slightly, not quite used to playing the hero.  
  
Hudson's ears suddenly pricked up. He stood up and put his nose to the ground, his hair began to stand up on his back, and low throaty growl could be heard from him.  
  
"What Hudson?" she asked.  
  
Spike held up a hand silencing her. He glanced around, he smelled something but it wasn't like anything he'd smelled before, whatever it was actually smelled evil. Then from seemingly nowhere large creatures that resemble large black roaches, that walk on there hind legs, came from all angles there were five of them. 


	2. Two Whitelighters and a Cop

Chris rolled over groaning a bit, everything around him was completely dark, the air smell of smoke and dirt. He tried to sit up but he felt a sharp pain go through his head. He inched toward the stairs of the basement but found her was on top of them, or what was left of them anyway. So Chris orbed up stairs to the attic...but he startlingly found that it wasn't there as he went plunging down toward the leveled house, he orbed himself to the ground at the last minute.  
  
"Paige? Piper...Phoebe?" Chris called but he sunk back down on the ruins finding no one there, "Leo?"  
  
Finally he got an answer, in a swirl of blue light, Leo appeared unscathed. He knelt down beside him and held his hands over top of him and Chris felt the wounds healing up, and his pain slowly disappearing. Leo then offer him a hand pulling him up.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Chris asked.  
  
"I think...I think the girls are um...dead," Leo said slowly holding back tears, "The other elders say that um we can fix this...That the balance of good and evil was thrown off, but not just by the death of the girls by something else too...if we find out what...and kill whatever caused this we can...reverse time..."  
  
"Wouldn't make more sense to go back and time and kill this, thing?" Chris asked.  
  
"I don't even know if whatever it is...can be killed...it might not be living...But the elders say there are other survivors that we need to find them..." Leo continued.  
  
"Wait what about the book of shadows?" Chris asked.  
  
"We should find that too..." Leo said.  
  
He scanned the area quickly and saw no sign of it.  
  
"Good Luck," Leo said quickly.  
  
"Hey wait Where are you going?" Chris demanded.  
  
"I told you we need to find the survivors...I'll bring them here...then come help when you find the book," Leo told him.  
  
"Right," Chris said in aggravation.  
  
Leo orbed out in another swirled of blue lights.  
  
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Leo had focused on the nearest living person, and he ended up in the middle of a dark room, he couldn't see anything. He threw off some light, which floated up to the ceiling and lit up the whole room. There were bodies everywhere, broken desks, smashed computers, odd looking weapons, demons.  
  
"Where am I ?" Leo asked out loud.  
  
There was a slight high pitched whining sound as if something was charging up, Leo jerked around and found himself staring down the barrel of a large gun.  
  
"You've got less than five seconds to tell me who you are and how the hell you got here before I blow your brains all over the floor," said a male voice, with a slight accent Boston, or Chicago ,maybe.  
  
"Whoa...Easy I'm only here to help...actually I'm here to get you..." Leo told him.  
  
The guy looked a bit rough, he was bleeding from the side of his head, one of his eyes were swollen nearly shut, and he had wounds on his side and his clothes were torn.  
  
"Okay who the hell are you?" he demanded.  
  
"I'm Leo...Look just put down the gun all right?" Leo said gently, "What's your name?"  
  
"Nick...Nick O'Malley," he said lowering his gun figuring there was no point in shooting the guy.  
  
Leo moved slowly toward him, "Do you know what happened here?"  
  
"Nope I just woke up and...everyone was dead..." Nick said slowly.  
  
"How long have you been awake?" Leo asked him.  
  
"At least Twelve hours, I've searched the place top to bottom, there's no one left," he said distantly.  
  
"Well at least let me help you," Leo told him.  
  
"I didn't ask for any help," Nick snapped.  
  
"I didn't say you had a choice," Leo replied.  
  
"Excuse me?" he demanded.  
  
"I can heal your wounds," Leo said simply.  
  
"You can heal my... What are you some kind of doctor?"  
  
"Something like that...here," Leo said, reaching a hand toward him.  
  
His hand began to glow and the wound on the side of Nick's head disappeared, and as he held his hand over Nick's eye, the swelling went down, and then disappeared. The pain to was completely gone, Nick's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"What the hell are you?" Nick said in slight awe.  
  
"I guess kind of like an Angel," Leo said not wanting to explain completely yet, "We need to go before this place collapses on us."  
  
Before he could protest, Leo put a hand on his shoulder and orbed him out of there.  
  
************************************************************************** Chris sighed in frustration, if he could find what used to be the attic then he could find the book, but he couldn't find that part of the house. A swirl of blue lights appeared behind him, and Leo and another guy appeared.  
  
"What the hell?" Nick snapped stumbling a bit.  
  
"Sorry," Leo apologized, "Any luck Chris?"  
  
"No...I think its your turn to look for it..." Chris huffed.  
  
"Where the hell are we?" Nick asked.  
  
"San Francisco, California or What's left of it..." Chris filled in, "I'm Chris."  
  
"Nick," he said, looking around slowly, with a suspicious look on his face.  
  
"Go find more people, and bring them here, I'll look for the book," Leo said.  
  
"You want to come?" Chris asked Nick.  
  
Nick shrugged, seeming a bit depressed, but Chris could understand why...it was amazing that he seemed only a bit depressed.  
  
"Why not?" Nick shrugged again.  
  
Chris put a hand on his shoulder and focusing on another living person. Chris orbed them away, in a swirl of pale blue lights. 


	3. Claws Vs Fangs

Author's Notes: Thank you for the good reviews, and don't worry the chapters will get longer...Please continue to read and review...Thanks again. And to all you Special Unit 2 fans I knew you guys were out there somewhere *Sniffs* I miss that show...I was very upset when it went off air...I love Nicky  
  
BTW sorry for not updating sooner I went out of state, so I had plenty of time to type the chapters but I couldn't post 'em. Enjoy...bye Love ya'll  
  
*BEEEEEEEP* We now return to our feature presentation*  
  
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Spike found the creatures to be harder to kill than he thought. Like small roaches, they didn't seem to mind missing one or two of their limbs, and they didn't seem too intelligent either. They were fast though, nearly too fast, all Spike had managed to do is incapacitate one by removing all of its limbs. Kerri hid behind the bar, she couldn't really fight right now because she was hurt or else she would be right beside him. She thought a moment, she couldn't let him do all the work, she searched behind the bar for something helpful. All she managed to find was a dirty rag and one unbroken bottle of tequila. That was actually more helpful than it sounded. She opened the Tequila and stuffed the rag down into it. She then searched her pockets for a lighter...but she didn't find one.  
  
"Damn," she cursed.  
  
She scanned her head for something helpful, she found it. A spell, she wasn't a very strong witch, but she was a witch, creating a small flame shouldn't be too hard.  
  
"Encendio," she muttered and a small flame flickered to life at the end of the rag.  
  
"Hey Spike watch out..." Kerri yelled.  
  
She threw the makeshift Moltov cocktail, and hit one of the roach things. Luckily these things seemed more flammable than dry grass. It burst into flames and they quickly spread catching the dry wooden floor and broken beams on fire and the flames wrapped around the roach creatures. They let out a high pitched scream, that nearly made their ears bleed, and caused Hudson to try and hide his head.  
  
"Kerri?" Spike called through the flames.  
  
"Still here..." she called back, "Sorry about that."  
  
"No problem," Spike muttered taking and unneeded breath, and leaping through the wall of flames that kept him from the bar and Kerri.  
  
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Angel stood outside of the rubble that was once Buffy's house. He was near tears, and even he couldn't believe that her death had brought him so close to crying. He'd figure out away to fix this and kill whoever caused this. 'Giles', he thought, 'I need to find Giles.'  
  
His thought was cut off by the sound of someone, then he caught a whiff of the person, human, for the most part anyway. He smelled a bit odd, different but human nonetheless. Angel was actually happy to know there was at least one other person alive.  
  
Logan was exhausted, he'd been hacking his way through all kinds of creatures. They all looked different, but they smelled the same...Evil. Though he stopped abruptly when he smelled a dead body. That of course didn't surprise him, but the source of the smell happened to be a moving, seemingly living person. He had to be something evil, probably just another one of those things in a different shape.  
  
Angel heard a 'Shnict' sound, and turned around abruptly. His eyes fell on the stranger, with shaggy brown hair. Soon his eyes found their way to the three claws that sprung from the back of each hand.  
  
"Who are you?" Angel asked.  
  
"I think the better question bub, is what are you?" the stranger all but growled.  
  
Logan regarded the creature, he seemed to be smarted than the rest of the creatures he'd fought.  
  
"I could ask you the same question, considering the fact that you have claws coming from the back of your hands," The dead guy replied.  
  
Angel rolled his eyes and figured there was no point in fighting with the guy, but he seemed to have other plans. Logan had closed the gap between them quicker than Angel had anticipated. Logan aimed his claws for Angel's neck. Angel Grabbed his wrist, and held his wrist just far enough away so the claws weren't through his neck.  
  
Angel head butted him, though he was hurt more than Logan. At that moment Angel discovered his metal skull, of course he didn't know it was metal he just knew something in his own head had cracked and Logan remained fine.  
  
Logan had a smirk on his face and retracted his claws and drove his fist into Angel's cracked skull. Angel snarled and his face contorted to his game face. Logan actually faltered.  
  
"What's that matter?" Angel smirked running his tongue over his fangs.  
  
'What the hell are you?" he demanded.  
  
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Behind them a swirl of blue lights began to take shape as two people. Nick and Chris watched the fight with interest.  
  
"Should we break it up?" Nick asked.  
  
"Let them fight it out for a while..." Chris said, then a thought came to mind, "Wait I only sensed one person."  
  
Nick was ignoring him and moving closer to the fight, there was something, every time they came close to the street light. The one minus the claws now stood directly in the light, there, now Nick saw him clearly. His face was like nothing he'd seen. Well that was wrong, his face was close to some things he'd seen, but he'd never actually seen something so close to being human yet, horribly distorted.  
  
Nick drew his gun, it making a high pitched squealing noise.  
  
"Don't move, or I'll blow off you pretty little head," Nick quipped.  
  
Angel froze, as did Logan, the two turned to look at him. Chris winced.  
  
Angel finally laughed, "Yeah shoot me that'll work well,"  
  
"The bullets explode on contact, so if that doesn't kill, at least there'll no one around to put you back together again," Nick replied.  
  
Angel was right about now getting tired of being perceived as the bad guy. He rolled his eyes and his face melded back to his human visage.  
  
"I'm not that bad guy here all right the tin man attacked me..." Angel said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh is that right?" Nick said sarcastically.  
  
"Um Nick?" Chris said slowly, "The other one has claws..."  
  
"So which one should I shoot?" Nick asked.  
  
"Let me talk to them," Chris said quickly.  
  
"Go ahead, I'll be here with my gun," Nick said shrugging, but he was really itching to shoot something.  
  
"Okay first question, what are you guys?" Chris asked.  
  
"Mutant," Logan said.  
  
"Vampire," Angel answered.  
  
"Whoa...What?" Nick demanded.  
  
"Shhh," Chris told him, "Well while we're on the subject and so I don't have to explain it later...I'm a whitelighter,"  
  
"A what?" Logan growled narrowing his eyes at the boy.  
  
"He just said he was a va..." Nick started but Chris cut him off again.  
  
"Hold on Nick," Chris continued on, "It's kind of like a guardian Angel for witches."  
  
"Witches? The last witch I met tried to suck out my..." Nick started again.  
  
"If she tried to kill you it wasn't a witch, but they tell you a lot of things to keep you away from the truth," Chris told Nick.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.  
  
"Gimme a second and I'll explain, one issue at a time here," Chris said, then looked back at Logan and Angel, "Okay, Mutants aren't always bad he's human, but your a vampire, why does that make you the good guy?"  
  
"I have a soul," Angel said simply not offering any sort of an explanation.  
  
"I'll get Leo to check up on that until then stay away from my neck," Chris muttered, "All of you need to come with me."  
  
"Where?" Logan demanded.  
  
"To more people," Chris said, "I'm collecting survivors."  
  
Before either of them could protest he grabbed Logan and Angel by the wrist and orbed the two away leaving Nick glaring after him. But about thirty seconds later Chris orbed back to Nick.  
  
"Sorry, I wanted to get them there first, and let Leo deal with them," Chris quickly apologized, "What tried to kill you wasn't a witch, but a Crone, They're the ones that give witches the stereotype of being ugly hags, when in reality they look like normal people."  
  
"We were always told that there was no such thing as vampires...So either he's lying or..." Nick's voice trailed off into thought, 'I was lied to,' he thought.  
  
"We were always told that vampires were these demons that were banished from the underworld by the source, but in reality those were fiends, most upper level demons don't even know that, you were probably lied to for the same reasons we were, to keep us out of the way of the Slayers, it's their job to kill them not yours, and not ours...in the case of the witch...it was probably ignorance or to keep you out of our way," Chris explained.  
  
Nick seemed to believe him, but he didn't like the answer he got. Chris put a hand on his shoulder and orbed him back to Leo. 


	4. Captain Peroxide and Charlie's Angels

Author's Notes: Okay don't mind my Psycho humor with the title if you don't get the Charlie's Angels thing I meant only the two whitelighters, who are often called angels and Angel himself...Three Angels...Charlie's Angels...and well Captain Peroxide I know the crack was made in a later season, four or five I think but what the hell I thought that was really funny when I first heard it, though it sounds best coming from Xander.  
  
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After Spike had once again gone against his vampiric nature and rescued Kerri and her dog from the raging fire, the oddly matched trio found their way into the streets. Kerri clutched Spike's arm for the support that her ankle wasn't offering her. Of course this slowed them down a lot but it's not like they had anywhere to go because they didn't know where to go. Spike would've been more impatient if they would've had somewhere to go, but since the world had pretty much thrown up they had nowhere to go.  
  
"What now?" Kerri asked pulling Spike's jacket around herself.  
  
"We wonder around like lost orphans? Speaking of which I'm starving..." Spike said absent-mindedly.  
  
"What do Orphans and food have anything to do with each other?" Kerri demanded with a sideways smirk.  
  
Spike smiled wickedly, was about to open his mouth to reply, but he stopped hearing noise behind him.  
  
Forming from the pale blue orb lights were three figures, one Spike recognized the other two he didn't.  
  
"Angel," Spike growled.  
  
"Spike," Angel growled in response.  
  
"So I'm guessing you two know each other?" Chris said slowly.  
  
"You could say that," Angel replied in a quiet voice, "Let the girl go Spike."  
  
"If he lets me go I'm going to be on the ground," Kerri said but kept a calm tone in her voice.  
  
"Your hurt?" Leo asked.  
  
"Only if I breath or walk..." Kerri snapped.  
  
Hudson laid down quietly. His ears were pricked forward, and his hair was standing up on his back but he made no noise. Though he was in fact paying complete attention to the current situation.  
  
"He can heal you..." Angel said bluntly.  
  
"What are you guys supposed to be anyway?" Spike demanded.  
  
"They're Whitelighters," Kerri informed Spike.  
  
"What?" Spike asked.  
  
Chris and Angel looked on in amazement but Leo had a knowing look on his face.  
  
"Guardians of witches, for all intents and purposes they are the good guys..." Kerri told him.  
  
"She's a witch," Leo explained to the other two.  
  
"Too bad Spike's not," Angel told the girl, "He's a vampire."  
  
"Oh like you're not," Spike scoffed.  
  
Kerri looked at Spike in a combination of disbelief and fascination.  
  
"But I thought vampires..." Kerri started but Chris cut her off.  
  
"Those were Fiends, But even upper level demons called them vampires, in fact they are the source of most Vampire legends," Chris told her.  
  
"Oh..."Kerri now looked a bit confused..."But why...?"  
  
"Don't know very long Story Leo's an elder ask him," Chris said quickly.  
  
She looked at Leo who in turn shrugged.  
  
"Okay now I'm confused," Spike said.  
  
Kerri shifted her weight a bit, then her eyes widened, "Eww, that is really disturbing Spike..."  
  
"What?" Spike demanded wondering what he'd done, besides the whole vampire thing.  
  
"Remember when I asked what food and orphans have anything to do with each other...I figured it out," Kerri said wrinkling her nose in distaste.  
  
Spike grinned at that, "The whole vampire is it going to be a problem love?"  
  
"Not if you keep your fangs to yourself," Kerri said.  
  
"I'll try," Spike smirked.  
  
Leo moved toward Kerri, Hudson darted toward him blocking his path, now growling.  
  
"Hudson, Lay..." Kerri commanded.  
  
He immediately dropped to the ground, laying down but kept his eyes focused on Leo. Leo jumped in surprise, instead of walking around the dog Leo orbed to Kerri.  
  
Spike eyed him glaring a bit at him.  
  
"Just trying to help," Leo muttered defensively.  
  
Kerri nodded, then gently nudged Spike in a signal that meant 'Cut it out' but if Spike knew that he didn't acknowledge it. Leo knelt down and put his hands by her ankle. As his hands glowed, she felt the pain in her ankle subside, then he scanned her for more damage and found her broken ribs, he then proceeded to heal those to. Kerri tested her weight on her newly healed ankle, before letting go of Spike.  
  
"Thanks," she told Leo.  
  
"No Problem, but we have to get back to the others so come on I'll take you guys," Leo told her.  
  
"Your not bring him back there," Angel said in a low threatening voice.  
  
Chris rolled his eyes, "We brought you back,"  
  
"I have a soul he doesn't," Angel snapped.  
  
"Well aren't you special Soul Boy," Spike replied, "See what he means...is he has special shagging privileges with the slayer."  
  
Angel growled and took three swift strides toward Spike, which was all he needed to close the gap between them. In one fluid motion he hauled Spike up by his hair and slammed him down hard on a broken slap of concrete.  
  
Kerri's eyes widened in surprise, then she made a few gestures in the air, leaving a faint trail of pale red light, which disappeared after a few seconds, next she muttered, "Separate."  
  
Angel flew through the air, and landed hard on the cracked street corner about eight feet away from the others. Both of the two vampires faces' took on a demonic contortion.  
  
"See now I'm confused about whose the good guy and whose the bad," Chris muttered scratching his head then he looked at Kerri, "How the hell'd you do that?"  
  
"Its called Ma-gic..." she said slowly sounding out the word for him, in annoyance, then she looked from Spike to Angel, "You boys WILL play nice or I'm going to be one angry witch...do you understand? Because next time either one of you decides to grind the others bones to make your bread, your going to spend your immortal life as a chinchilla."  
  
Spike sat up a bit looking at her in surprise, coughing up a little blood he laughed, "You can do that?"  
  
"Try me..." Kerri dared him.  
  
Hudson nudged Spike gently then began licking his hand.  
  
"Would you stop that?" Spike snapped pulling his hand away from the dog.  
  
Angel pulled himself from the sidewalk and glared at Kerri, then Spike, then Kerri again.  
  
"You think because you helped him he won't kill you?" Angel demanded.  
  
"Not that I owe you any explanation or anything, but I think because he saved me from having the life crushed out of me by a giant bolder, and saved me from giant cockroaches and saved me from burning flames of death that I sort of caused, I sort of owe him, anything else you want to say?" Kerri demanded.  
  
When Angel opened his mouth to speak she cut him off, "Oh wait no I don't give a damned if you have anything else to say, but if you need help removing your head from your ass I'll be here."  
  
Angel growled, while Spike had slipped back into his human guise, Angel was still full vamp face. Angel wouldn't hurt her, but she didn't need to know that. Just like Kerri really couldn't turn them into a chinchilla but they didn't need to know that. He moved a bit closer to her, putting on a threatening face. Though she managed to look unfazed, both vampires heard her heart speed up in fear. And Hudson, well he seemed to be able to sense her discomfort like a lot of dogs can and he cut off Angel's path to her. An intense throaty growl reached their ears, Hudson's ear were flat against his skull and his short stubby tail was flat against his hind quarters. His short tan fur on his back stood up and his tan wore down claws dug into the pavement. Every muscle in his body was tense, as Kerri ran her hand down his back.  
  
"You know, I don't think he likes you mate," Spike smartly observed.  
  
Kerri flipped her long blonde hair out of the way, her curly seemed to spiral neatly down her back. Her pale cerulean eyes were narrowed slightly, and one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows were arched as if challenging him to try anything. When he didn't she ordered Hudson to sit, which he obeyed, then turned to the two whitelighters.  
  
Leo was attempting to heal Spike but to no avail...but realization set upon him. Vampires were dead, and he couldn't heal the dead. Chris was impatient watching the scene.  
  
"I think their ready to go now," Kerri said.  
  
" 'bout time," Chris muttered.  
  
Chris put a hand on Angel's shoulder and Kerri's and Kerri put a hand on Hudson's head, Leo put a hand on Spike's shoulder, and the two simultaneously orbed the group away. 


	5. The Violent and the tipsy

Author's Notes: I know someone asked about Special Unit 2 You can try the UPN website or you can try just typing in Special Unit 2 in a search engine and no Kerri is not from Charmed, though I kind of tried to make her personality like combination of Buffy, Prue, Phoebe, Piper, Paige and Willow.  
  
*BEEEEEEEP* *Announcer voice comes from Speakers* Now for a public service announcement from CBS: The author of this story does not condone underage drinking, Drinking in excess, drinking and violence, drinking and driving, Drinking and using magic, assault with deadly weapons, violence in general, Harassment in any way shape or form and while we're at it, We apologize for anything that might offend anyone, human, vampire, witch, mutant, dog, whitelighter or otherwise. We apologize for global warming, the death of 2-pac, Biggie smalls, and any other major star, We also apologize for R-Kelly, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and her boob, which we take full responsibility for, We apologize for Donald trump's hair, Brittany Spears's fake boobs, J.Lo's not too recent break up with Sean 'Puffy' Combs and the more recent break up with Ben Affleck. Also, We'd like to say sorry to Latoya Jackson, we know you have no talent and we're sorry that's our fault, and also We apologize for the Surreal Life TV show, we know that never should have aired even though it's not on our network and we apologize for reality shows in general What were we thinking? We also would like to say sorry to American Idol's Clay you almost won, and We apologize for anything we forgot to mention, if we didn't mention it it's probably our fault anyway, and on the final note, No animals were hurt in the process of writing this story...Thank You. Please enjoy the rest of this story.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
After Leo had found the book he'd orbed them all to P3. It was decidedly a lot less damaged than the manor. It was still standing for one thing, and Leo repaired the parts that quite possibly could've collapsed on their heads.  
  
Spike was confused on one thing about these so called 'Angels' "So my question is...If a whitelighter thingie can't heal dead people..."  
  
"Or Animals," Kerri added.  
  
"Dead people or Animals, Then why the bloody hell can they heal inanimate objects?" Spike continued.  
  
(Author's Note: I've always wanted to know that)  
  
Leo opened his mouth to respond and then closed it, he really didn't know the answer. So he just shrugged.  
  
"If a vampire is so strong and powerful why does it take something as simple as sunlight, or a large toothpick to kill them..." Nick said rather bitterly.  
  
"Or a girl," Chris added.  
  
Logan had been quiet besides the introductions, which he muttered a greeting, to each of them. They were surprised when he had finally spoken up, "So are we going to figure out what the hell is going on or sit around and pretend like nothing happened?"  
  
"Well what do you want us to do? Sulk? While we're consulting our magic eight balls for answers? It would do us no good to be depressed, about this yeah its completely and utterly devastating but what are we supposed to do? How do you expect us to act?, if someone knows how we should act let me know because I haven't a clue, and as far as figuring out what happened I could ask my magic mirror but it shattered in the rubble," Kerri snapped.  
  
Logan glared at her, his eyes seeming to look right through her, but she didn't waver. The only thing she did do is meet his glare with a indifferent gaze.  
  
"I'm going to go consult the other elders, please guys keep it together try NOT to kill each other," Leo said then he orbed away in a whirlpool of azure lights.  
  
"You know what kid, that attitude is going to get you hurt," Logan all but growled at Kerri, "Because at this point, I'll kill you if you piss me off."  
  
Spike's head snapped in his direction. He felt a slight protective instinct toward the girl. Maybe because she's the only one that didn't look at him as if he were about to drain them dryer than the Sahara. Of all of them though she was the most bitable, but for some reason she kind of reminded Spike of a little sister, so he wasn't planning on eating her.  
  
He didn't say anything he just glared, Logan didn't even take notice. Angel on the contrary did; he was a bit confused by this. If he had been defending his food he would've had said something, he wouldn't have let the threat go unnoticed. If he had been protecting a future girlfriend, he'd just have killed Logan, or tried to. Angel was stumped as to what his motive was.  
  
Nick on the other hand wasn't quiet about sticking up for the girl, "Hey take it easy," Nick snapped.  
  
Logan was about to reply with some witty asinine comment, when he realized he probably should 'Take it easy', she was after all only a girl, most likely no older than nineteen or Twenty. Logan took a seat in the corner, grumbling mentally.  
  
"I'll turn your punk ass into a chinchilla too," Kerri muttered under her breath crossing her arms.  
  
She sat down next to Spike at a table and Hudson promptly put half of his body in her lap, mostly because he couldn't fit the other half on her.  
  
"Jeez, babe, you need to go on a diet," Kerri grunted to Hudson.  
  
Hudson let out a friendly growl, and wagged his tale.  
  
Spike gave Kerri the once over as if to make sure she wasn't hurt, then he proceeded to stare blankly at the floor. Nick moved over to sit by her.  
  
"He's a little testy," Nick told her smiling halfway.  
  
"He's an ass," Kerri replied.  
  
"Can you um...Really turn him into a chinchilla?" Nick asked lowering his voice just a bit.  
  
"No but no one needs to know that," Kerri said lowering her voice almost to a whisper.  
  
Now if Spike had been a normal person he wouldn't have heard what she said, it would've sounded like a faint mummer. Spike wasn't a normal person, so Spike heard her clearly.  
  
He smiled a bit at that, he'd doubted that she could in the first place but now he was sure.  
  
"Of all things why a chinchilla?" Nick asked.  
  
"I don't know...because frog was cliché," Kerri replied.  
  
She pet Hudson on his head and he jumped off of her and hopped up on Spike. But Instead of calmly jumping on him, Hudson charged him, jumping up and putting his front paws on Spike's chest, and knocking over Spike and his chair. Hudson stood on top of him licking him in the face.  
  
"Get OFF!" Spike growled.  
  
If Hudson noticed Spike's annoyance he didn't show it, he just continued to slobber on him. Kerri burst into laughter, and moved to pull Hudson off of him.  
  
"Hudson, get off of that poor British man," Kerri said with bit of a smirk as she pulled Hudson off of Spike by Hudson's collar.  
  
'Poor British Blood sucking bastard' Nick thought with disdain.  
  
Nick had the tendency to not like links, or as these people called them, demons. To him they were the same thing, there were very few that deserved to live, and these vampires that weren't supposed to exist, weren't any exception. The whitelighters weren't that bad he'd decided that they weren't the same thing as the links and demons, Logan he wasn't sure about yet. Kerri on the other hand, seemed to be the most normal one even though she was a witch, plus she was cute, but he still had to be careful. The last witch he met was cute too, well at least she made her self look cute until she turned into a hag. Then there was the spider woman, though he'd never admit it that cut him deep.  
  
Spike pulled himself from the floor and searched the mess behind the bar for a rag, which he found, but also he found two bottles of vodka, he didn't generally drink that but, it would do. He was surprised to see how many things were in tact. He found a whole bunch of glasses which were packed in boxes, with foam and bubble wrap so a lot of them were unbroken, he grabbed a whole bunch of glasses and brought them over.  
  
"Come on all lets have a round shall we?" Spike said sitting back down at the table.  
  
"I'm in," Nick said quickly.  
  
"Me too," Kerri agreed.  
  
"I could us a drink," Chris muttered.  
  
"Angel? Logan was it?" Spike asked the other two.  
  
Logan shrugged, "What the hell?"  
  
Angel just shook his head, and retreated to his own corner. ***************************30min. later*****************************  
  
"Yeah I killed two of 'em," Spike said his speech slurred, "I don't like to talk about it, you know with me being so modest and all..."  
  
Kerri burst into laughter, "I hardly think you're the modest type," she said taking a gulp of the vodka.  
  
"Good point there was this one during the boxer rebellion..." Spike started.  
  
Nick downed the rest of his glass, and started on his fifth one, "Your bragging about killing a teenage girl?"  
  
Spike was silent for a minute then he cocked his head to the side, took a drink and said, "Well yeah..."  
  
"Your a sick bastard," Nick snapped.  
  
"I really am aren't I?" Spike grinned.  
  
All of them around the table were drunk and their speech was slurred. They had gone through a bottle and a half of Vodka. For the past half an hour Spike had been talking about all the people he'd killed and Nick was getting pissed, No Nick was pissed. The alcohol was making him go against anything he'd do in his right mind.  
  
"Yeah you are and if you don't shut the hell up I'm knock your ass out," Nick snapped.  
  
"Feisty little demon cop aren't ya?" Spike laughed.  
  
Kerri had had her share of drinks but she was sober enough to see where this was headed.  
  
"Nick, don't," Kerri said.  
  
Nick stood up as did Spike.  
  
"Hey Logan, Chris aren't you gonna do something?" Kerri asked.  
  
"Me and Chris are going to finish off the rest of this bottle," Logan replied gruffly, and Chris nodded in agreement.  
  
"Angel?" Kerri said glancing around the room, but she found that the Souled vampire was MIA.  
  
"He left 'bout ten minutes ago," Logan told her.  
  
Kerri sucked her teeth, stood up putting herself between the two. She stood facing Nick, she put her hands on his shoulders and gently tried to push him back into his chair. Nick wasn't having that, he grabbed her by the wrists.  
  
"Let go of me Nick," Kerri said calmly.  
  
"Okay..." Nick replied, but not before kissing her roughly.  
  
Kerri hit him hard in the mouth; Nick spit out a mouth full of blood on the floor. Before either of the two could say anything Spike had moved around Kerri and grabbed Nick by the throat and slammed him brutally onto the bar. Normally Nick could hold his own, but in this case he was really drunk, and Spike wasn't as drunk as he seemed because of the fact that he was a vampire. Kerri had half the mind to let them fight, not that she could really do anything, because she'd had too much to drink to even remember any spells.  
  
Spike threw him into the wine rack, and at the same time he vamped out, "You know I'm actually kind of hungry."  
  
Suddenly a sharp pain went through Spike's abdomen. He looked down to find three metal claws protruding through him. Logan retracted his claws then grabbed Spike by the shoulders and threw him onto the table.  
  
"Stay there!" he commanded, then moved toward Nick who obviously hadn't had his ass kicked enough because he still wanted to fight Spike.  
  
Logan hauled him up by his throat and held him firmly in place, "Just stop, or I'll remove one of your limbs got that bub?"  
  
"Yeah, Yeah I got it..." Nick muttered.  
  
Spike rolled off of the table and into a chair. He flicked a glance to Kerri, "You all right love?"  
  
"Funny you should ask me that..." then she turned to Logan, "Did you have to stab him with those badly in need of a manicure claws of yours? Its not like he started the fight."  
  
"I could care less what the hell he did, he's just lucky I didn't take off his head," Logan snapped.  
  
"Love the only reason he stepped in the fight was because I was going to kill the cop..." Spike said shrugging.  
  
"He's smarter then he looks ain't he?," Logan replied.  
  
"I guess that's better than looking smarter than you are huh?" Kerri replied, "You know your a real bastard..."  
  
Kerri now stood in front of Logan with her arms crossed.  
  
"You sat here and listened to him, talk about all that crap he's done, and you still have the nerve to stand here and stick up for that soulless blood sucking son of a bitch?" Logan snapped, "Maybe your the dangerous one, or maybe your an unfeeling bitch."  
  
Kerri punched him harder than she'd punched Nick. Logan's head snapped to the side and something gave way in her hand.  
  
"Look around you, I hate to break it to you but you all lost everything and everyone, I didn't loose anyone, Because I had no one to loose, Because my family was killed in a fire...all except for my dog, it was ruled arson and the person that did it got five years probation and time in a mental institution because he was ruled insane...so now I'm basically jaded, not unfeeling..." she replied caustically.  
  
All was silent for a good long minute while everyone stared at her. Then Logan, said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."  
  
Then he grabbed her by the neck, "But if you ever punch me again, I'm going to gut you like a fish kid are we clear?"  
  
Spike was up out of his seat within a space of three seconds, "Let her go now!"  
  
"Pipe down bub, I won't kill her but I will kill you," Logan said flatly before turning back to Kerri, "We clear?"  
  
"Crystal," Kerri choked out.  
  
"Good," Logan let her go and Spike darted for him but Kerri caught his arm, "Don't bother..."  
  
In the middle of the floor a spiral of bluish lights appeared as did two figures. Kerri was surprised to find that Chris was one of them, in all the commotion they hadn't realized he'd left.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Leo demanded surveying the damage.  
  
Nick stumbled up next to Kerri and Spike and draped his arm around Kerri.  
  
"Nothin'" Nick said casually, like a kid.  
  
Kerri shrugged his arm off and moved to the opposite side of Spike. And Spike just glared at Nick.  
  
"Leave you guys alone for a little while and..." Leo muttered.  
  
"Well we didn't kill each other..." Spike smirked.  
  
"Oh great..." Leo said sarcastically moving toward Nick to heal him, "You guys all need to sleep this off, and when you wake up I'll tell you what's going on...Where's Angel?"  
  
"I'll go find him," Nick said, his stance swaying a bit, threatening to fall over.  
  
"No, Stay here and sleep, I'm going to find him, Can't really blame him for leaving anyway," Leo snapped.  
  
Leo orbed out leaving them once again, which was probably not the smartest move.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Kerri lay on the couch, using Hudson as a pillow and Spike's jacket as a blanket. She actually had managed to fall asleep. Spike on the other hand couldn't, but that was mainly because it was dark outside, and he being a vampire was nocturnal. He stood leaning up against the wall in the shadows near by his newly found little sister.  
  
Chris had let Logan sleep on the couch in the back room, where the three sisters, his mother and two aunts little did anyone know, had let him sleep. Chris was sitting on a bar stool with his head slumped over on the Book of Shadows.  
  
Nick still stumbled, around the bar barely able to walk but he search in vain for something else to drink. Spike watched him carefully making sure he got nowhere near Kerri. But unfortunately for the overly intoxicated cop, Spike's patience was wearing very thin.  
  
"Sit down...Mate," Spike growled in a low voice.  
  
"Make me prick," Nick snapped.  
  
"Don't tempt me, stupid ponce," he muttered.  
  
Though Nick being as drunk as he was made his attention equivalent to that of a third grader. His eyes wonder to the sleeping witch, "I'd love to f..." Nick was abruptly cut off, when Spike closed the rather large gap between the two in five seconds flat and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold. Spike left him just where he was figuring that maybe he'd be sober when he woke up. Spike on the other hand sat down beside the couched and leaned up against it. 


	6. Annabel Lee

Author's Notes: I'm not too good at the whole sad depressed thing, but I'm going to give it a shot so bare with me this chapter maybe short. And a bit sappy, and maybe depressing if I can give it that touch, but it may turn out just corny. I used the poem 'Annabel Lee' because I thought it might be mildly appropriate and I love Edgar Allan Poe.  
  
Disclaimer: I make no claims to the Poem 'Annabel Lee' by Edgar Allan Poe. Unfortunately the excellent piece of literature belongs to him and only him.  
  
************************************************************************** 'It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And this maiden she lived with no other thought, Than to love and be loved by me.  
  
I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea, But we loved with a love that was more than love--- I and my ANNABEL LEE---With a love that the wingéd seraphs of Heaven Coveted her and me. --- From Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee' **************************************************************************  
  
Angel had no idea where he was going but he just had to go, to walk, to do something. Though the more he walked the more he thought about her. The more he thought about her, the bigger the lump grew in his throat and the harder it was for him to keep himself from crying. Buffy had meant more to him than anything ever had, even from the first moment he saw her, we wanted to help her, protect her, but he had failed in both departments. She was dead, and he too was dead, but not as dead as she was.  
  
Buffy had been the one thing that had anchored him to humanity, he'd done more good ever since he'd met her than he'd done in his entire life and afterlife(so to speak). Sometimes he forgot how old she was when he was around her. Her eyes at times looked old, as if she'd seen too much for her age. He so badly had wanted to protect her from it, but in the end, he hadn't been able to protect her from anything. Buffy was the only woman he'd ever loved, Darla was just an obsession, as Angelus he hadn't felt love, and as Liam he had been a womanizer.  
  
Angel stopped when he found he'd made his way to the docks of San Francisco. He continued walking until he came to the end of the pier and looked down into the water. She had been one of his only reasons for living, for fighting the good fight, she'd been the reason he'd started in the first place. From the day he'd seen her on the steps of her high school he knew she was going to have it rough and he wanted to help her. He had in some respects, but in the end, she'd died alone and he continued on. ************************************************************************** And This was the reason that long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My Beautiful ANNABEL LEE; So that her highborn kinsmen came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.  
  
The Angels, not half so happy in Heaven, went envying her and me:---Yes!--- that was the reason(as all men know, in this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, chilling and killing my ANNABEL LEE.' --- From Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee' **************************************************************************  
  
Leo found it hard to search for Angel because he was dead, so he tried to search for his soul, which would have worked better if he'd known him better. He got the general area, but it was going to take a lot of walking to find him. He guessed that Angel was probably within about a thirty mile radius, more or less. Hopefully less.  
  
Leo couldn't blame Angel for leaving, especially if he was the only sober one there. Though Leo would have appreciated it if he wouldn't have gone so far. Though Angel had seemed to be quieter than the rest of them, he wondered just how he was holding up. Leo again scanned the area, and got a clearer idea of where he was. He orbed to him, though when he looked at his new surroundings he paused. Not seeing him at first he started to scan the area again, but stopped when his eyes found Angel standing alone, staring into the water that was now lit by the recent appearance of the full moon, Even though the full moon was a little off schedule, they'd already had a full moon this month. ************************************************************************** 'But our love it was stronger by far than the love, Of those who are older than we---Of many far wiser than we---And neither the angels in Heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE.  
  
'For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE:'--- from Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee' **************************************************************************  
  
Angel had heard Leo orb in behind him, but he didn't bother to turn and face him. He figured that Leo would make his way over to him eventually and he'd have to go back. He really didn't want to until they were sober.  
  
Leo approached him cautiously, "Angel? Are you okay?"  
  
Angel remained silent as he turned and faced him. Angel kept his face indifferent, or tried to anyway but somehow Leo knew that the face he put on was as much of a mask as his demon visage.  
  
"I'm fine," Angel answered.  
  
"No you're not," Leo concluded.  
  
"No, I guess I'm not," Angel sighed, turning from him.  
  
"Do want to talk about it?" Leo asked him.  
  
"No," Angel said again.  
  
"You know I lost four important people, My wife, My sisters in-law, and my son...we all lost somebody...but we can fix it Angel...the other elders say that, if we find the source of the evil then we can turn back time and prevent this from happening," Leo told him.  
  
"I'm sorry," Angel said simply, before the rest of what he'd said registered, "What?"  
  
"It's a long story that I only want to have to explain once, but I promise this can be fixed, and everyone that was lost won't be lost anymore if we fix this but, We need you, we need everyone," Leo told him.  
  
Angel nodded, but for some reason he felt he could talk to this Leo guy, "Buffy was...everything to me, she was in a sense my soul, what anchored me to the side of good, my hope, my first and only love, I've been alive for 243 years and she is the only woman I've ever loved, but I couldn't even protect her...I'm not sure how much help I'd be to you guys."  
  
"She was the slayer am I right?" Leo asked.  
  
Angel nodded.  
  
"It wasn't your job to protect her, your job was to fight at her side, on her side, and you did that, and you'll continue to do that, now and after we fix this problem, whether she's dead or not..." Leo told him firmly. Leo was the one who'd lost his charges, and his family. He was supposed to protect them even if he wasn't there official whitelighter anymore, if anyone had the right to feel useless it was Leo, but that would do little to improve Angel's mood so he kept it to himself. He kept a lot to himself lately for the sake of the others.  
  
Angel remained silent still staring into the dark waters, full of debris from the apocalypse. Leo now stepped up beside him, now he didn't want to go back at this current moment in time either, so he mimicked what Angel was doing, which was staring into the water.  
  
Angel knew Leo was right, but still, it should have been him and not her, it should never have to be her. ************************************************************************** 'And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling---my darling---my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea---In her tomb by the sounding sea.'---From Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee' 


	7. Dreaming of you

Author's Notes: I thank you very much for the Reviews, Please keep reviewing. How's everyone enjoying the story? Hopefully you are...There's much love for all you people that give reviews, and much glaring for all you people who read and don't review, I know your out there come out come out wherever you are. Entertain my sick little mind as I am attempting to entertain yours please! Really I do have a sick little mind but that's besides the point, I leave you with the story, enjoy POR FAVOR.  
  
Several hours later  
  
Kerri sat perched casually on a table, her hangover from the events the night before was none existent, Though both Chris and Nick wished they could say the same, but Nick had it the worse being that he drank the most, no Wait Spike drank the most but him being a vampire and all, hangovers didn't really effect him too much.  
  
Nick grabbed a chair and sat down at the table Kerri was sitting on. Spike's eyes darted in his direction.  
  
"While I don't remember much about last night, I was left with this strong feeling that I should apologize to you, but I'm not really sure for what though...I usually don't drink that much...no I usually don't drink vodka but I normally drink twice my weight in beer and I've never waken up with someone and not remembered how I met them, though I have waken up with some and wondered if I should just gnaw my arm off instead of waking her, she was damned ugly," Nick said laughing a bit.  
  
Kerri couldn't help but laugh as she gently hit on the arm, "You're terrible..."  
  
"What I was just saying..." Nick started, "Never mind, away I'm um...I'm..."  
  
Nick always had trouble apologizing to people, mainly because it was rare that he took the time to do it.  
  
"Apology excepted..." Kerri said smirking a bit appreciating the attempt.  
  
"Oh good I was afraid I'd have to say it," Nick smirked.  
  
"Chris!" Kerri yelled.  
  
Chris orbed in from the back room, "What? You don't have to be so loud."  
  
"Leo, Where is he?" Kerri asked him.  
  
"I don't know he said he was going to find Angel..." Chris shrugged.  
  
"Don't you think you should orb your happy whitelighter ass on over to him and see if he's okay bub?" Logan snapped.  
  
Chris rolled his eyes, "Leo can take care of himself..."  
  
"I think that was less of a request, and more of a 'do it before I slaughter you like a pig'..." Kerri informed him.  
  
Chris looked from Kerri to Logan as if trying to get confirmation, Logan narrowed his eyes which was enough for him. Chris sighed, rolling his eyes, as if he was going for some other reason than to not get sliced in to sushi by Logan "Fine, I'm going," he muttered. He orbed out, in a wave of bluish white lights.  
  
Spike could help but smirk, watching Nick as he rubbed his jaw, which had a nice large bruise on it, Leo had heal his other bruises before Spike had hit him again. Spike on the other hand, didn't have a scratch because his wounds had already healed up.  
  
Suddenly two shapes orbed in, Chris, with his hand in Angel's shoulder, and as soon Angel's feet hit the floor they collapsed out from under him and he hit the ground. He was covered in blood, cuts and bruises. Chris had a large welt on his forehead, but he didn't stay long, he orbed out without a word. Both Kerri and Nick ran to Angel's side, the other two looked on in interested.  
  
Kerri and Nick lifted him up by his arms and helped him walk to the couch.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Kerri asked.  
  
Angel coughed then said, "We were talking, Leo and I, and...then we were attacked, by something that smelled really...Evil...I mean it smelled like evil in it's pure form...but it was shaped like...a snake...a really big snake, with really big fangs...I grabbed a manhole cover, I was going to cut off its head while Leo distracted it but I couldn't get a clear shot at its...neck, so I threw and cut him in half...but...then there were two snakes...and the one with the head swallowed Leo...he orbed out of the creature, but he passed out as soon a he hit the pavement, and hasn't waken up, but he's still alive."  
  
"Damn it," Nick cursed, Leo was the only one of them that knew what the hell was going on.  
  
Chris orbed back in with Leo laying on the ground, a blackish goo covered him, presumably from the inside of the evil snake creature.  
  
Meanwhile Leo sat watching all that was going on, he looked down at his body in dismay. He wasn't dead, he had died once already he remembered what that felt like. He could see everything that was going on, but apparently they couldn't see him. There were two good reasons for that though.  
  
One was that his soul had vacated his body, but was still tied to it, so he was kept alive, and he was actually attached to his body by a silver cord that was attached at the back of his neck like an umbilical cord. Reason Two, was that he was floating above them all and literally felt like he was pinned to the roof, like he'd sucked to much helium. Now he knew how a balloon felt.  
  
He decided it was because of the goo, it was pure evil and his soul rejected it so strongly it jumped out of his body, like magnetic repulsion.  
  
"Guys, just clean off the goo," Leo muttered. "Have you tried healing him?" Kerri asked.  
  
"I can't heal..." Chris said.  
  
"What the hell kind of Whitelighter can't heal?" Kerri demanded.  
  
"Hey healing takes a while to develop..." Chris muttered defensively, then confided reluctantly, "I'm only half whitelghter anyway."  
  
"Well that's helpful," Spike mummbled to no one in particular.  
  
Chris tossed him a dirty look.  
  
"Why don't you go talk to the elders and ask them what we should do...We can watch Leo..." Kerri suggested.  
  
Chris nodded, taking in a deep breath 'Hold on Dad,' he thought before orbing out. Leo wondered if he could get Kerri's attention. After all Piper, Paige, Phoebe and even Prue when she'd been alive had seen ghosts when others couldn't. Though he wasn't really a ghost he hoped that wouldn't make a difference.  
  
He'd discovered he wasn't really pinned to the ceiling, he was just weightless. So it was like swimming minus the gravity. He swam next to Kerri. It was funny because it seemed that the silver cord was infinitely long.  
  
"Kerri..." He tried to touch her on the shoulder. A chill suddenly ran down Kerri's spine. She didn't like the spot she was sitting in. Angel picked up Leo and laid him on the couch. Kerri moved to the bar, perching on top of it, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of her head she couldn't quite place. She shrugged it off as paranoia.  
  
"What?" Spike asked her.  
  
"Nothing I just got cold all of the sudden..." she said looking around.  
  
Spike grabbed his jacket which had been laying on the couch where Kerri had been sleeping, and handed it to her. A gesture which surprised Angel, for some reason Spike was being...nice to this girl. Spike noticed Angel's gaze and glared at him.  
  
"Thanks," Kerri said wrapping the oversized jacket around herself, "So what now...I can't sit here and wait for something to swallow the rest of us, I can't orb and neither the rest of you so if we are eaten we're lunch..."  
  
"I'll bet that'll be a new experience for you," Nick said to Spike in a cheerfully sarcastic voice.  
  
Spike narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Nick, "I'll bet me slitting your throat and letting it drain into the street until it turns completely red with your blood would be a new experience for you...but hell why not try something new..." he said very slowly articulating each word in a quiet threatening voice.  
  
'There goes Nice Spike,' Angel thought.  
  
"Just try it and I swear I'll blow your tiny little brain all over the wall." Nick hissed moving toward him.  
  
This time Logan did step in sooner.  
  
"Both of you sit down and shut up," Logan growled stepping in between the two.  
  
"Sought off," Spike growled back.  
  
"Kid..." Logan said to Kerri through gritted teeth, "You'd better get him before I amputate one of his arms for him."  
  
Kerri nodded and grabbed Spike by the arms and pulled him over to the couch sitting him next to Angel. Not the best idea but it would work for now. Spike allowed the girl to pull him to the couch, with only verbal resistance.  
  
"You know where you can shove your bloody claws, right up your..." Spike started but Kerri cut him off.  
  
"Spike!" Kerri snapped, "Why don't you take a lesson from thumper...If you can't say something nice...don't say anything at all...that goes for you two too."  
  
Spike sighed, "Yes mum,"  
  
Angel looked at him again, then shook his head slowly.  
  
"What?" Spike demanded looking at him carefully.  
  
"Nothing..." Angel said but smiled slightly.  
  
Spike raised a single eyebrow, Angel looked at him, "What's with the girl?"  
  
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Spike asked though he knew full and well what he meant.  
  
"You're so...nice to her...yet you really haven't changed...just around her..." Angel said slowly.  
  
"I don't know what your..." Spike started but changed his mind, and sighed just a little bit, "When I was alive, I wanted a little sister...of course I was an only child but...she's like the little sister I never had..."  
  
"Don't make her trust you then do something to take that away...if you hurt her I'll kill you," Angel told him.  
  
"Yeah, Yeah," Spike said pulling a cigarette from his pocket and getting up. He walked over to the far corner, and lit the cigarette inhaling deeply.  
  
Kerri had sat down at a table and laid her head on the table, falling asleep.  
  
Kerri stood in the bar, she saw what everyone else was doing, but it seemed like she was looking at an old picture.  
  
'A dream,' Kerri reasoned.  
  
Leo's attention suddenly focused on Kerri again...she was there too now...sleeping.  
  
"Kerri?" Leo said.  
  
"Leo what are you doing here?" Kerri asked him.  
  
"Having an out of body experience, my soul and body separated, like magnetic repulsion, you get rid of the evil goo...I can go back to my body..." Leo said.  
  
"Uh-huh, "Kerri said slowly, "So how are supposed to get rid of the goo if we can' touch it..." Kerri asked.  
  
"A little is okay...Chris orbed me here after all, but just to be safe...have spike do it...he's evil..." Leo replied.  
  
"Spike's not....evil...just misguided..." Kerri said slowly but she seemed unsure of her own words.  
  
"Spike just threatened to slit Nick's throat and I don't think he was kidding..." Leo replied  
  
"He's very misguided..." Kerri said in his defense.  
  
"He doesn't even have a soul to separate from his body..." Leo argued.  
  
"Okay you win Casper..." Kerri said. 20 min. later  
  
Spike grabbed Leo by his shirt and dropped him in the large dishwashing sink in the back, now they didn't have running water, but the sink was full of old soapy water, it would work.  
  
"Come on rise and shine now," Spike said gritting his teeth a little as Kerri came in behind him.  
  
"Keep his head above the water..." Kerri said quietly.  
  
Spike noticed her tone of voice seemed a little...doleful. He propped up Leo's head and let him go, turning to her.  
  
"What's wrong?" Spike asked her.  
  
"Nothing...Just tired..." she replied quickly.  
  
"You just woke up..." Spike pointed out.  
  
Leo's eyes fluttered open, then he slowly sat up. He spit out a mouthful of placid soapy water.  
  
He climbed out of the sink, then headed in the back...but not before tossing back over his shoulder, "Thanks,"  
  
He knew that Chris kept clothes here, and suddenly he was thankful for that.  
  
Spike nodded in response, but kept his eyes trained on Kerri.  
  
"Okay love...here's the deal, your not leaving until you tell me what's wrong..."Spike said crossing his arms.  
  
She raised an eyebrow, "Right..."  
  
"I'm serious...Try to leave..." Spike challenged.  
  
Kerri moved for the door but Spike being faster than her was there already. He stood in the door with his arms crossed...  
  
"So..." he asked.  
  
"Do you know why your the only one who could do that?" Kerri asked.  
  
"The whole soulless thing might have something to do with it..." Spike said.  
  
"Leo said it was because you're evil...and I wanted to believe that wasn't true but..." Kerri said her voice trailing off a bit.  
  
"It is love, face it I'm evil as hell, but I'd never hurt you," Spike replied 


	8. How it Happened

Author's Notes: Thank You all love ya lots...keep reviewing please, I need to know what the public is demanding, besides cheese and lower gas prices, you guys are on your own for that...I can't help ya'll. Yes I said Ya'll no I don't have that hick accent it's just down in the south we use that word a lot even if we're minus that little accent.

* * *

Leo was at least wearing dry clothes but his hair was still plastered to his skull from the water. He sat on the bar facing the group which was watching him expectantly.  
  
"The elders said that three acts that happened simultaneously caused this, It started with a demon that escaped from a hell dimension meant to imprison the especially powerful evil demons that they couldn't figure out how to kill. His name we believe is Amero, and he is part of Tribunal of exiled judges from another dimension, that were exiled for abuse of power, and Tyranny, he freed his brothers, Kyro, Danyro. It was part of a plan to take over a dimension, throw the world into eternal evil chaos then take it over. None of them have there own shape, there actually made of black energy, but they can take any shape they choose, within a reasonable size of course, but usually they all take the same shape, which is why we dont know which is which. They all pretty much have the same powers except one, they all have one unique power, Amero can alter time, Kyro can alter perception, and Danyro can alter freewill," Leo said in one big breath, then he drew in another breath.  
  
"So if we find Amero we can beat him into using his power to help us?" Kerri asked.  
  
"That probably wouldn't work, you have to appeal to his interest, you see they probably didn't realize this would happen if they did it, because why would they want to rule this place if there's no one here to control?" Leo asked.  
  
"Do what? What did they do to cause this?" Logan asked.  
  
"They eliminated the humans race's main champions of good, One killed all the slayers in waiting, Another killed the Slayer, and the last one...killed...the Charmed Ones...along with several other witches but that was an accident..." Leo said.  
  
"So what should we do...Are these demon guys still alive?" Kerri asked.  
  
"Yeah they are but I can't get a lock on them..." Leo said, "The other elders are trying too..."  
  
"Demons like the hellmouth," Angel stated.  
  
"So are you saying we should go there or just stating a fact?" Chris asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
Angel narrowed his eyes glaring at him. Chris shifted under his gaze, avoiding the vampire's eyes.  
  
"I think that's a yes," Kerri answered flatly, "So who's going?"  
  
Spike was getting rather antsy, he couldn't stay here for too long so Spike was the first to volunteer.  
  
"All right then let's go," Spike said standing up.  
  
"Okay," Kerri said perking up.  
  
"Your staying here," Spike told her bluntly.  
  
He figured that it would be more dangerous near the hellmouth, since evil seems to accumulate around it.  
  
Kerri got up from her perch on a table and stood directly in front Spike.  
  
"Excuse me What?" Kerri asked.  
  
"I think he said you were staying here," Chris added helpfully.  
  
"See even the boy got it and he's a bloody moron," Spike said sighing a bit.  
  
"Chris, Before the end of the mess, Someone's probably going to kill you, and I just want you to know it's because you're a smartass." Kerri said sighing, "I don't need a vampire who a few days ago would've just as soon killed me before he'd even take a second glance at me."  
  
Spike narrowed his then turned on his heel and walked out into the cluttered alley.  
  
Kerri sighed and ran her hands through her blonde hair. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, she just wasn't used to being protected, it bothered her.  
  
"He'll get over it," Angel stated bluntly.  
  
"And if he doesn't that gets him out of our way," Logan said actually sounding rather happy about the idea of ridding them of the vampire.  
  
Nick only smiled, he had many comments that started to bubble to the surface, but he held them back for the sake of the woman.  
  
There was a loud thump in the Alley.  
  
"Maybe he's committing suicide," Logan laughed.  
  
"Doubt it," Angel stated flatly as Kerri rushed for the door.

* * *

Spike had been outside smoking a cigarette and pouting, when he saw a figure stumbling into the alley, a vampire.  
  
"You gotta help me," he said clinging to Spike's arm.  
  
"Let go of me," Spike had told him.  
  
"Hey Your Spike...What are you doing in San Francisco? Wait that doesn't matter you gotta help me!" he said looking behind him.  
  
"Help you what?" Spike asked, his question was soon answered when four human shaped black figures entered the alley.  
  
The vampire hid behind the dumpster and Spike rolled his eyes. One darted toward him tackling him and slamming him into the dumpster making a loud thump. The other vampire leapt one that one pulling him off of Spike. He hit him repeatedly in the face...well were its face should've been but it had no face, just a sort of black glowy surface.  
  
Kerri opened the door cautiously, and found the fight...She decided to try something, she'd made a flame before a small one now she'd try for a bigger one, "Encendio!" she said loudly focusing her power. Two out of the four of them burst into flames and they caught the other two on fire...and sound they melted into a pile of burst evil mush.  
  
Spike turned and looked wide eyed, and Kerri grinned.  
  
"Don't say it love," Spike said rather quickly.  
  
"What?" Kerri asked innocently...Then she caught sight of Spike's new Vampire friend, "Hey whose that?"  
  
"Hell if I know? What is your name mate?" Spike asked him.  
  
"Josh," he said, but he sounded a bit distracted, mainly because he was to busy eyeing Kerri.  
  
Josh who'd been leaning on the alley wall pushed himself off with one foot and started walking toward Kerri, holding out his hand.  
  
"And you would be?" he asked.  
  
Kerri had never been around any vampires that had actually tried to kill her so she took his hand before Spike could even protest. Josh took her hand and yanked her forward vamping out and his fangs headed for her neck, he got his fangs into her neck but didn't actually get to drink any of her blood because Spike grabbed him by the hair and yanked him backward.  
  
"She is not food," Spike said gripping his hair so tightly that a thin line of blood appeared at the edge of his scalp, then he slammed his head brutally into the wall, "And since I don't have a stake I'm just going to have to beat you until your little more then a pile of bloody mush."  
  
"Spike I didn't..." Josh started but Spike slammed his head into the wall again.  
  
"Love, why don't you go inside and get Leo to fix that bite mark..." Spike suggested.  
  
This time Kerri didn't argue, she went inside. 


End file.
